Akiko Sugawa (須川亜紀子)
Tokyo: Seidosha (青土社) 2024
Reviewed by Liu Yang (PhD Candidate, University of Tsukuba, HYI Visiting Fellow)
Over the past few decades, the term 2.5-dimension or 2.5-D (2.5 jigen/2.5次元) has gained widespread recognition in Japanese media society. Originating from the fan-made jargon indicating voice actors/actresses in the 1970s, the term is now mainly recognized as referring to theatrical adaptations of the so-called 2-dimensional contents such as manga, anime and videogames. Following and expanding on this history, An Introduction to 2.5-Dimentional Culture sheds light on a series of cultural practices interpreted as experienced between fictions and the real world. The book’s editor, Akiko Sugawa, is one of the first scholars in Japan to focus on the “2.5-D stages” as a cultural phenomenon; prior to the publishment of this book, she has organized 6 public symposiums and published a single-authored book on the topic. [1]
The book comprises seven chapters which are divided into two sections. The first section, namely “body and character”, contains three chapters that discuss how virtual characters are (re-)presented and interpretated as possessing physical bodies and personalities, both within and beyond the stage. Drawing on different theoretical frameworks such as manga studies (chapter 1), performance studies (chapter 2) and affect theories (chapter 3), these chapters not only offer a variety of potential approaches in studying the dynamics among actors, characters and the stage itself, but also show a connection between the consumption of theatrical performance and everyday life.
The book then moves onto its second section, “fan and fandom”, with four chapters that discover fan practices and fan communities both in Japan and abroad. The so-called “community of preferences”, as was identified in Chapter 4, is constructed through shared interpretative strategies of stage performances (chapter 5), as well as interactions between theatrical devices and the audience (chapter 6). For example, plays such as “PSYCHO-PASS The Stage” (Oct 25-Nov 11, 2019) are designed so that what is visible on stage differs depending on one’s seat, thus encouraging the audience to imagine the unseen, as well as motivating repeated attendance to the same performance. Meanwhile, fans may choose to watch certain actors/characters through binoculars throughout the show, disregarding the overall story. It is argued that such communities provide a relatively stable bonding among 2.5-D fans (“otaku”) despite their differences in other social aspects such as nationalities. However, as chapter 7 illustrates with interview data, tensions and conflicts due to identities and preferences are also observed in the fandom.
Although the seven chapters vary in theoretical interests and methodologies, they collectively showcase diverse perspectives within the field of 2.5-dimentional culture. At the same time, while not explicitly stated in the book, the narrative data provided by several chapters suggests the potential to reframe theatrical performance, both on and beyond the stage, as a form of emotional labor. Furthermore, topics such as identity construction within and through fan practice may also inspire academic interest in linguistic and anthropological research.
Overall, An Introduction to 2.5-Dimentional Culture opens up new horizons in studies of 2.5-D as cultural phenomenon in contemporary Japan. It would serve as an inspiring reader both for those who are interested in the practice itself, as well as for those seeking for an academic approach to this emerging field.
[1] Sugawa, Akiko. ‘2.5-Dimensional Culture: Stages, Characters, Fandom’, Tokyo: Seikyusha.